John Sampson's Story

We were in a conference room in the depths of the Palace. All of the Princesses, Steel, Shining, Swift, and myself are looking serious at each other.

Celestia directs, “John, tell them exactly what happened and leave out no detail.”

I did.

Celestia asked Swift next, “What did you see?”

“I saw exactly what John described right up until the Unicorn straightened up and the knives came flying. He was moving too fast for me to get a good look after that. Blueblood was standing well behind the Earth ponies but I didn’t see him after the action started.”

Celestia looked at Twilight next.

“I noticed that John was getting nervous and kept looking behind us. Then he said we should move away. Before I had a chance he shouted that I could leave or get thrown. I teleported out immediately.”

Celestia focused back on me, “Would you have handled a Princess like that?”

“In a heartbeat, Your Majesty. At that point, all I knew was that there was a serious threat. My plan was to get Twilight to safety while I blocked them from pursuing. My actual words were ‘if you aren’t out of here in two seconds I am going to throw you across the room’. I know She has wings and magic so I wasn’t worried about harming her. Mostly I wanted a fast way to impress on Her the seriousness of the threat.”

Celestia smiled, “That’s how a pony gets to be a Prince. Steel, what could you tell from examining the scene?”

Steel summarized, “Every bit a physical evidence agrees perfectly with what Prince John described. We have the knives in the places he named and more identical knives on the Unicorn. We have the weapons on all of the Earth ponies in use as described. The few party goers able to give a coherent account match Prince John’s descriptions. Several of them did see Blueblood where Prince John described him but nopony saw what Blueblood did or where he went. The wound on the last Earth pony could not have been made by a sword as large as Prince John’s.”

Then Celestia turned to Shining, “Shining, how are the prisoners doing?”

“The Unicorn may never be sane again. Cutting off a horn in use causes a terrible backlash. The Earth pony with the concussion will survive but won’t be able to answer questions for an unknown amount of time. If what the Earth pony with the leg wound says is true, it doesn’t matter. The last Earth pony hired all the other ponies for the job. All were given an advance in gold coin, which all had on them, with the rest to be paid on completion. They did know that the job had to be completed before the end of the festival but only the last Earth pony knew who ordered it and was going to pay for it.”

Celestia looked at me again, “Conclusions, John?”

“They were obviously after me. All I had was some ponies that stood out from the crowd and a sloppy drunk until Twilight was gone. Then five assassins came out with weapons. My theory is that they were as taken by surprise as I was with me being promoted and wanted to kill me before it became official thereby avoiding the whole ‘attack on the Royal Herd’ thing. I can say with deep personal conviction that Blueblood et al. were behind it. We had a minor confrontation earlier in the festival that Twilight and Swift can attest to where he exposed his emotions. He has to know by now that I’m the primary reason they’ve lost millions of bits. And the final Earth pony, the one described as the link to their employer, ran straight to him when panicked.

“But I can absolutely guarantee you that if he is charged, he will portray himself as an innocent bystander forced to defend himself from a mad pony that had just attacked a Princess and everypony should thank him for ending the danger to other ponies. And there’s not a damned thing we can do to contradict him.”

Celestia looked to Steel again.

Steel said, “I can’t find a flaw with that, unfortunately.”

Shining’s turn.

“There is one correction I’d make. It’s a popular misconception that my marriage to Cadance made me a Prince. The marriage is the icing on the love cake. I’m a Prince because my Princess says so. There is no ‘official’ confirmation or announcement needed. When She wants it, it happens. Everything else is spot on.”

I answered, “Shining I had suspected as much and was waiting for a good time to ask. But, there is betting pool in the castle on the time and date of the ‘official announcement’. I’m treating this buckle as a pretty damned solid indication for any pony with doubts.”

Celestia focused on me, “Since you believe that, John, and you’re wearing it, can I take it to be your acceptance of the nomination?”

“Damn you, Celstia, there will be an accounting some day for your methods. But until then this is the best way to keep my band safe so I will embrace the whole package.”

“All of it, John?”

“Absolutely everything but the previously stated exceptions.”

“It’s done , John.” And another of those ripples in the world happened.

Celestia was smug. Luna was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. And everypony else was confused.

Twilight broke the moment first, “John, what just happened?”

“I just auctioned off my soul for the future happiness of everypony I love. And that is all anypony else needs to know.

“And now that I am fully and officially a Prince of the Realm, maybe there is another possibility. I could challenge Blueblood. Get him in public and accuse him on a personal level. Make it a matter of honor.”

“He just got to see you in action, John. Do you think he’ll stand or run? Besides, removing the individual Blueblood will have little effect on the herd. Somepony else will just take his place and we will have to start all over again.” Celestia was being a wet blanket.

We kicked around a few ideas but the only one with any traction was for me to appear in the next Royal Court and be loudly and publicly acclaimed. That should slow things down for a while.

Steel and Shining wanted to talk to me privately so we adjourned to my office. Twilight and Swift were in the apartment deciding what to take to Twilight’s tower and what to leave here and making a list of things that should be duplicated for Twilight’s Castle.

Shining hoofbumped me, “Welcome to the family from both directions. And thanks for going easy on me when we sparred.”

“Shining, I don’t know what the ultimate reach of my magic is. Every time I need more, it’s there. But you see what happens when I try to crank it up and still control myself. I’m going to have to spend hours practicing not splattering melons and hope that translates to not splattering ponies. Sparring with any pony I’m going to stop well short of doing harm. You let me reach a little farther and that did make a difference when it mattered. Besides, there are vulnerabilities to any magic as you pointed out.”

Steel was practical, “Do you want to keep your apartment? A Prince is entitled to much more.”

“Steel, I want to keep it. It’s my link to my friends and my sanity just like the farm. That’s the tension between me and Celestia. Coming in as an outsider, without the built in worship factor that ponies have, I see how messed up some things are getting. Celestia is trying to make more Alicorns so Equestria will be safer and happier and she’s not having complete success. What I just agreed to was full participation in Celestia’s program to improve the Royal Herd. For my own sanity I need an anchor outside the Royal chambers. The human culture I grew up in ditched everything royal centuries ago in favor of merit based status. As kept breeding stock I will go insane.

“I want to eat here regularly and keep up my informal mornings. I want to keep all the things Major John has come to represent. And I want Swift and AJ to have an escape from the Duchess brood mare role. I expect Spike to use it as an escape from heat week too.

“John, that’s a big bite to chew on. Of course a Prince gets what he wants anyway but I appreciate the way you have always tried to keep me informed. I assume the status of your locked room remains unchanged?” Steel is remembering things I forgot.

“Yes. If it changes it will be to destroy everything in it.”

Shining was getting interested now, “Steel, I can testify to some of what he says. Why do you think moving to the other side of Equestria seemed a good idea to Cadance and me? John’s statement about Celestia’s methods struck a chord in me. But I want to know, what locked room?”

Steel looked at me, so, “Do you remember that simple statement that humans ended everything Royal centuries ago? That’s what’s in that room, the end of everything Royal.”

Shining is incredulous, “You can’t be serious.”

This time Steel took it, “I’ve seen it, Shining, and his explanations of it make perfect sense. That’s why we don’t talk about it.”

We talked for while, mostly speculation, but Shining had some very good suggestions for training methods. A knock sounded on the door and when I answered Swift walked in with a tray of steaming tea cups.

“John, I believe that you’ll want breakfast and a change before the Morning Court. It is currently zero four thirty. If you want to take PT, I can pack your best dress and sword in my saddle bags.”

“Please do, Swift. I’ll change to my cammies before we leave.”

After Swift was gone Steel announced, “John, if you ever mess up, I’m stealing her. She’s a prize.”

“Steel, if I’m ever that messed up I want you to have her. You are one of the rare few that could keep her.”

As we walk in to the cafeteria there are a lot of sighs but no real motion. My pony friends have good instincts. I had my usual and we all talked about plans.

Twilight had a biggie, “I’ll probably be retreating to my tower in a few days. All this stress is having an effect.”

Swift immediately popped up, “I’ll notify AJ.”

I added, “Steel, call me if the world ends.”

PT was routine. I’m going to have to get some more versatile equipment. Maybe it’s time for Steel to order that Minotaur weight set. We showered and I assembled my Dress gear while Swift got into her’s. When we walked out of the showers they were waiting. The gym was filled with ponies all bowing to us. I had to get out of there before I started crying.

Hurry up and wait, the ultimate universal constant, and it had us. Twilight had been sent to bring AJ in and Celestia was notifying friendly nobles. The new target time was after lunch. We were to wait in Celestia’s private office lest we spoil a surprise for certain ponies.

At just under an hour Twilight and AJ popped in.

AJ didn’t even take a breath, “John Sampson, what have you done? I get rousted out in the middle of spring planting and told to report to Royal Court just get dressed and let’s go.”

“Deep breaths, AJ, deep breaths. You are here for our promotion. I’m being acclaimed a Prince of the Realm and you have to be here to be acclaimed Duchess. How do you like the new duds?”

Twilight went to join the Morning Court while Swift and I explained to AJ how we got into this situation. It took until nearly noon.

A Guardpony came to request our presence for lunch with the Princesses. I managed to finagle things around to get myself seated next to Cadance.

I opened with, “Hi there. We keep bumping into each other but never getting to talk. After Shining described you as ‘the sane one’ I just had to make a chance.”

She laughed, “Really? That’s interesting after some of the things he’s said about you.”

Yep, we can get along, “I hope you’ll get a chance to make up your own mind. I want to spend some time training with Shining. I need the training.”

“Shining says you’re as strong as he is right now.”

“I may be stronger. But I’m too new to the magic to really know anything. I need technique and control for that strength to be useful and he’s got that all over me.”

“You will be welcome in the Crystal Empire any time you can be there. In fact, the impression I get from Shining is that the Crystal Empire will be safer for your presence.”

It’s time. I am to wait at the main door with AJ and Swift beside me. When I am announced we will approach Celestia. She will make the announcement and I will take my place between Celestia and Twilight. Swift and AJ will flank me the whole time.

Celestia got out the full Royal Voice for this one, “Be it known that Princess Twilight Sparkle has chosen Major John Sampson as Her Prince. In recognition of his exceptional qualities and service to the Royal Herd his nomination to Prince of the Realm is hereby confirmed. We, the four Princesses of Equestria, do Declare this to be Our Unanimous Will. We further Declare that Captain Swift Trail and Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres, bandmates of Prince John Sampson be given the rank of Duchess. Prince John Sampson, take your place alongside your Princesses.

And I stood between Celestia and Twilight with Swift and AJ one step behind me. Luckily, Court was over almost immediately so everypony could celebrate and spread the word. I was thinking about sleep myself.